Sherdog.com verified Okami’s release with UFC officials on Sept.
27. Okami last competed on Sept. 4, when he was knocked out by
former Strikeforce
champion Ronaldo
Souza at UFC Fight Night 28. The defeat came on the heels of
three straight wins for the Japanese standout, who bested Buddy
Roberts, Alan
Belcher and Hector
Lombard prior to his ill-fated meeting with “Jacare.”

Nicknamed “Thunder” for the phonetic similarities between his first
name and that of famous pro wrestler Jushin
Liger, Okami joined the UFC in 2006 and racked up a 10-2
Octagon record before earning a title shot against Anderson
Silva in 2011. Okami had previously scored a controversial
disqualification win over “The Spider” before arriving in the UFC,
and Silva exacted violent vengeance in their rematch, finishing
Okami with strikes in the second round of their UFC 134
headliner.

Okami, 32, exits the Octagon with a promotional record of 13-5,
picking up notable victories over the likes of Lombard, Belcher
(twice), Nate
Marquardt and Evan Tanner. A
veteran of 37 career outings, Okami owns 10 of his wins by way of
knockout and another four via submission.